Improve your mind

Daydream
Derided as procrastination, daydreaming is one of the most
metabolically intense types of thinking. Brain scans show that
during daydreaming the front and back parts of the brain interact
very closely, jumbling together old and new ideas to create a sort
of intellectual remix. It's the ideal mode of thought to come up
with something you haven't thought of ten times before. Really
difficult problems benefit from this type of cognitive process
because it allows you to think of the same thing in a
completely new way. So if you've been staring out of the
window
and suddenly have that "aha!" moment, it's time to get out
your notebook.

Distract yourself
The pre-frontal cortex, the rational part of our brain that deals
with logical thought, is like a muscle: ask too much of it and it
becomes depleted. That's why taking a break for a cup of tea or a
breath of fresh air really works if you get stuck on a particular
mental task. In an experiment, Walter Mischel, a psychology
professor at Columbia University, asked four-year-olds to resist
eating a marshmallow. Those who distracted themselves were able to
resist for longer than those who kept staring at it. He studied the
same cohort as teenage students and found that the resisters were
getting better grades - probably because they had better willpower.
This process is known as metacognition - being aware of what's
going on in your head and how to deal with it. Mischel is now
studying the cohort in their 40s to see if there's a genetic
basis.

Trust your instincts
When faced with a big decision that means processing lots of
different information, such as buying a new car or house, don't
just rely on your rational brain. It latches on to reasons that
sound good - buy that house in the suburbs because it has a bigger
garden. But it doesn't recognise that the 45-minute commute to work
in the City is going to get you down. Your emotional brain needs to
come into play, too. It's like a super-computer, taking in lots of
variables, analysing them below the surface, then spitting out the
answer in what we'd describe as a gut feeling.

Don't panic
If you've ever wondered why Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson
could chew gum for Scotland during a tough game, it's because he's
learned to put all his anxiety into his teeth. Scientists used to
think that people who coped better in stressful situations had less
active amygdalas - the primitive part of the brain that controls
reactions such as fear. Now scans show that this is not the case.
Some people learn to override fear by chewing gum or taking deep
breaths. But we also need to train our prefrontal cortex to think
differently. It's one reason why pilots go into flight
simulators.
Experiment
Our decisions are often driven by assumptions, but is what you
believe actually true? Tor Wager, a professor at Columbia
University, gave students painful electric shocks. Then he told
them he was applying painkilling cream - and they reported less
pain. The cream was ordinary moisturiser. Test your brain to make
sure that your expectations are really what happens. Investment
bankers - are you listening?